Sabattus Home With Bats Could Change How Homes Are Sold in Maine

One poor family had to move out while the bats were stopped and now legislation might stop it from happening to another family.

The Sun Journal reported about Ben Martin, his wife and their 3 kids. The first time they saw a bat  5 days after moving in, they thought it was just because a door was left open. No biggy. They loved their new home and were excited to start their new life. But then there was another bat flying around the house just a couple nights later.

That's when they called a wildlife expert who determined there was a colony of about 25 to 30 bats. He also determined that it had been an ongoing problem. That's not good, because of the risk of rabies. Ben also decided to reach out to state Rep. Jonathan Connor, R-Lewiston, to tell him about the bat problem. Connor then decided to do something about it and introduced a bill that would '...require pest disclosure in all real estate transactions.'

The family had to stay with family for weeks while the bat problem was fixed. But this poor family also had to get a full round of rabies shots, including their 2-year-old.

Ben's family has been able to safely move back in.

There's a lot of support for the bill, but the Maine Association of Realtors is against it saying that the bill’s language 'is vague and open to interpretation.'